FAQ

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) covers a broad range of issues. It's behaviour that causes nuisance, harassment, alarm and distress to individuals and the community. 

Together with our partners we can support you with ASB from:

Drug and alcohol abuse 

This includes irresponsible drinking and drug-related litter such as needles and alcohol cans.

Threatening or abusive behaviour

This is verbal abuse or threatening behaviour that causes nuisance, harassment, alarm or distress.
The behaviour can be deliberate or not.

Vandalism

 This is when someone has damaged or destroyed public or private property on purpose.

Aggressive and persistent begging

This is begging that makes people feel intimidated or hassled to give money.

Encampments

These are tents or temporary shelters put up by individuals and/or groups. If this causes nuisance, alarm and/or distress to other people it can be anti-social behaviour.

Please note that rough sleeping alone is not considered ASB. Visit the helping the homeless page to get more information on how to support a person who is homeless.

Sex working and prostitution

This includes soliciting/prostitution, brothels, kerb crawling, and sex work that causes ASB (e.g. condom littering, screaming or fighting )

Public urination or defecation

This is someone going to the toilet in a public or communal place.

Vehicle related ASB 

This can be nuisance behaviour inside or around a vehicle(s).

Noise nuisance (non-statutory)

This is unreasonable noise that causes nuisance, alarm and distress. 

It can be from:

• unreasonable/avoidable domestic noise
• intentional noise like shouting, arguing, swearing or playing music

What non-statutory noise nuisance can the council deal with?

We can only deal with complaints within:

• privately rented properties
• privately owned properties
• parks and open spaces

What about in social housing or housing association properties?

Please send complaints directly to the organisations in charge.

1. Dog fouling: Dog walkers must immediately remove their dog’s faeces from land within Tower Hamlets that is open and accessible to the public.

2. Dog exclusion order: Dogs must not enter the following areas:

• Gated children’s playgrounds
• Gated sports area such as sports courts, multi-use games areas, tennis courts

These are spaces within a park, open space or housing estate and which are fully or substantially enclosed and set apart for the use by children as a playground or other area for play or for sporting activities.

3. Dogs on leads order: Dogs must be on a lead on:

• Roads
• pavements
• car parks
• estate roads and communal areas on estates 

4. Dogs on leads by direction order: Authorised council officers have the power to request that dogs are put on leads where they are not under the appropriate control of their owner, or where they are causing damage or acting aggressively. 

5. Dog limit: It is an offence for any one person to have more than four dogs under their control at any given time.

Failure to comply with any of these requirements is a criminal offence.

The full dog control PSPO can be found on the council’s website.

• To the whole of London borough of Tower Hamlets

 We cannot tailor the rules to suit every size and type of dog, so we have made a sensible general rule for everyone to follow.  This rule not only makes people feel safer, but also prevents a dog being involved in or causing a road traffic accident.